title: Alternative solid carbon source from dried attached-growth biomass for nitrogen removal enhancement in intermittently aerated moving bed sequencing batch reactor.
abstract: The feasibility of using dried attached-growth biomass from the polyurethane (PU) foam cubes as a solid carbon source to enhance the denitrification process in the intermittently aerated moving bed sequencing batch reactor (IA-MBSBR) during the treatment of low COD/N containing wastewater was investigated. By packing the IA-MBSBR with 8% (v/v) of 8-mL PU foam cubes saturated with dried attached-growth biomass, total nitrogen removal efficiency of 80% could be achieved for 10 consecutive cycles of operation when the intermittent aeration strategy of consecutive 1 h of aeration followed by 2 h of non-aeration period during the REACT period of the IA-MBSBR was adopted. Negligible release of ammonium nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) and slow-release of COD from the dried biomass would ensure that the use of this solid carbon source would not further burden the treatment system. The slow-releasing COD was found to have no effect in promoting the assimilation process and would also allow the carbon source to be used for many cycles of operation. The 'carbon-spent' PU foam cubes could be reused by merely drying at 60 °C at the end of the operational mode. Thus, the dried attached-growth biomass formed on the PU foam cubes could be exploited as an alternative solid carbon source for the enhancement of denitrification process in the IA-MBSBR.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Jun-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Poh-Eng
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Chye-Eng
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Seng
authors.forename: Rohana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Adnan
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D058440:Denitrification; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000737:chemistry; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D011140:Polyurethanes; D002244:Carbon; C028279:polyurethane foam; D009584:Nitrogen